Why was the controversial Adler A110 lever-action shotgun banned?

Predicted by no one, the issue of gun control is back on the agenda following claims the government was willing to compromise an ongoing ban on the Adler A110 lever-action shotgun in return for libertarian senator David Leyonhjelm's vote on unrelated legislation.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has insisted there will be no softening of gun laws and that the controversial firearm – which allows up to eight shots to be fired in eight seconds - will remain prohibited until the states come to an agreement on how it should be classified.

Why was it banned?

In July 2015, the Abbott government decided to suspend imports of the Adler A110 amid concerns it undermined the Howard-era National Firearms Agreement, which heavily restricted the availability of powerful, rapid-fire guns in Australia following the Port Arthur massacre.

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While the Adler with a seven-shot capacity magazine (going up to eight with one in the chamber of the gun) has been banned, gun importers say that they have brought more than 7440 of the unrestricted five-shot version into Australia. This version can be modified to fire 11 rounds without reloading. Importers also said in 2015 that they have received more than 7000 pre-orders for the banned seven-shot Adler.

The Adler shotgun.

Gun control advocates, including those who lost relatives in the Port Arthur massacre, say the capabilities of the weapon mean it should be heavily restricted in the spirit of former prime minister John Howard's strict gun laws.

Gun Control Australia wants the Adler either banned completely or classified in the restrictive category C. Their petition to outlaw it completely has attracted more than 16,000 signatures.

Concerned about terrorism, former prime minister Tony Abbott has called on Mr Turnbull's government to do "whatever it needs to do" to limit access to rapid-fire guns to law enforcement, the military and "just possibly, people involved in serious pest extermination".

What is happening with the ban and the deals made to end it?

The ban was put in place pending a post-Lindt siege review of the National Firearms Agreement – the first since the NFA was agreed upon in 1996. This review has included consideration of all lever-action firearms, which are currently classified in category A, available for recreational shooters.

The Abbott government horse-traded with Senator Leyonhjelm, promising to let the ban lapse in August 2016 in return for his support on unrelated immigration legislation. State and territory ministers were not able to resolve the classification of the Adler in time and then the Turnbull government did not deliver on this commitment to the senator, who considers himself "dudded".

Who wants the Adler permitted and why?

State and federals Nationals MPs have led calls for the gun to be reclassified from category A to category B, which would restrict it to farmers and people with a specific need for using the weapon.

Category A and B licences do not permit ownership of pump-action shotguns. The rapid-fire capability of these weapons has been compared to the lever-action Adler - although this has been disputed by some gun enthusiasts.

Pump-action and self-loading shotguns with a capacity of up to five rounds are in category C while those with a larger capacity are in the highly restricted category D. Category C and D licences are available to primary producers, with the latter restricting a weapon's use to an official pest eradication program.

Federal Nationals MPs Bridget McKenzie and Mark Coulton, as well as their Liberal colleague Ian Goodenough and NSW deputy premier Troy Grant, are some of those who want restrictions eased.

They argue the gun is highly effective for farmers in shooting groups of pests, like pigs and birds, which damage crops and properties.

But Mr Abbott said "farmers already have access to quite effective weapons to deal with feral animals".

The gun-owning Senator Leyonhjelm says there is "nothing unusual" about the weapon apart from its low price. There are many similar options freely available and lever-action firearms have always been legal under the NFA. However, the Adler's magazine capacity is higher than other known models.